Menu

Tag Archives: snack

These allergy-friendly beauties are the perfect snack when you are on the go. Working in retail, I can’t always count on a proper lunch break at noon as that is when the store is busy. I can quickly pop one of these in my mouth between customers. They are also fantastic after a sweat sesh. They are gluten-free, soy free and dairy free and sunflower butter could be subbed to make them nut free.

*Buckwheat crispies can be made by soaking buckwheat groats for 4 hours, rinsing and draining and dehydrating for 4 hours (or baking in the oven for 15 minutes at 350).

Start by placing your oats in your food processor and breaking them down into a crumbly flour. Then add the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate chips, and process until the mixture sticks together. Then add your chocolate chips and pulse a few times. The mixture should be dough-like.

Scoop the mixture with a spoon and form a ball with your hands and place on a parchment lined plate. Place in the freezer to firm up. They can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week, otherwise, freeze them.

Today is a day for celebrating life and being fiercely badass. Today is a day to appreciate health and wellbeing. Today is a day to enjoy being CANCER FREE for 12 years! So why not kick back with a fun treat?! Heck yea!

There is was this super cool Health Food store in Waterloo, Ontario Canada that I used to like going to. They made these incredibly delicious bars that had a puffed rice bottom and chocolate middle with coconut on top. I loved those freakin’ bars. I had been meaning to recreate them for quite some time. I just recently learned the store closed. Nooooooooo!! So I made my own. They aren’t quite the same, but they are really good and a fun snack. Totally helps that mid-afternoon slump at work 😉

I bet the kiddos would love ’em too.

Chocolate Coconut Bars (makes 16 squares)

Bottom Layer
1. 5 cups of puffed rice (I used plain, sometimes it’s hard to track down)
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of brown rice syrup
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of almond butter
Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Melt the almond butter and brown rice syrup on low heat in a pan on the stove. Once it has melted and has a very smooth texture, remove from heat, add the puffed rice and quickly stir it all together. Use those muscles, it starts to set fast! Once it is well combined, pour it into the prepared baking dish and firmly press it down so it is even. Allow to cool while you make the chocolate layer.

Chocolate Layer
1 cup + 2 tbsp of chocolate chips
2 heaping tbsp of coconut butter
1/4 cup of large flake, plain unsweetened coconut
Melt the chocolate chips and coconut butter in a small pan on low heat on your stove. Stir until melted and the texture becomes very smooth. Pour this mixture on top of the puffed rice layer. Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top and gently press in. Freeze the baking dish for 20 minutes, then remove from the freezer and cut into bars or squares. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

I have to admit that going from not working at all to full time has been an adjustment. It’s a rather long day. I don’t drink coffee, working at a coffee shop through university permanently put me off the stuff, I’ve never even tried it, yet the smell of it turns my stomach. Chocolate on the other hand, is the perfect way to find a little pick me up during the afternoon lull.

Add the nuts, hemp seeds and oats to your food processor and grind until they break down into a crumble. Add the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips and process until it sticks together into a dough-like consistency. You may need to add a few splashes of water to get the right texture. Take a teaspoon, scoop up the mixture and roll into small balls.

Melt the chocolate chips on low heat on the stove. Once the chips are completely melted, allow the mixture to cool a bit. Then dip your balls in. You can roll them in the chocolate completely, or just dip them halfway like I did.

They are a super tasty little treat. I like to pack a couple each day to munch on when that afternoon slump hits.

Crispy on the outside, soft and moist in the middle. “Meaty” mushrooms with a salty, savoury coating make a fab appetizer for guests… or a fun snack solo.

Ok, so moment of truth here. I generally don’t make a recipe multiple times before putting it on the blog. I get an idea, try it out, hope for the best and if it turns out, on the blog it goes. If it doesn’t turn out, then no one even needs to know about it haha. But this was a multiple attempt recipe.

First, I’m still getting used to my airfryer. And yes, this is an airfryer recipe, but I give you an oven option too as I know not everyone has one of these magical devices. Secondly, this is a treasured food memory from my childhood. Every year my aunt and uncle would have a big fish fry to raise money for a local organization. It was a pretty big deal. I have never been for fish, even in my pregan days. But, part of the fish fry would include deep fried, battered mushrooms. I would pop one after one into my mouth and crunch down on the juicy, salty bites. It was heaven.

These are not those mushrooms. First of all, they are gluten free and don’t include eggs. And they aren’t deep fried. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t super delicious and awesome in their own way.

If you are using the oven, preheat the oven to 350. Wet a paper towel and clean your mushrooms by wiping and patting them. Combine all of the wet ingredients in one medium bowl and place all of the mushrooms in the bowl to marinade while you prepare the dry ingredients. Put all of the dry ingredients together and stir them together. Using slightly damp hands, take each mushroom individually and dredge it through the dry mixture. If using the oven, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. If using an airfryer, place the mushrooms in the basket and cook for 10 minutes at 350, shaking halfway through.

**Note I actually make my own breadcrumbs by taking the end pieces of a loaf of bread and putting them in a food processor until they break down into crumbs and store them in the freezer in an airtight container.

**Special HVF Update It is with heavy hearts that Mary Ellen and I would like to announce next Friday, April 28th will be our very last Healthy Vegan Friday. We have loved so very much hosting these weekly potluck parties, especially getting to know all of you. We really feel like we have a little family that has grown over time. Many of you have been with us from the start and have supported us and we cannot tell you how much we appreciate this. And some of you are newer and we love that you have found us and shared with us. Most of you know that I recently started a job and my time commitments are shifting and it’s hard for me to figure out what I can continue with, sadly I just don’t think this is one of them. I still want to keep blogging as it’s something I really enjoy and I’ve made so many wonderful blogging besties, but I think it’s time to let HVF go. Thank you for everything

One of the things I love best about this blog is the writing. You can curl up with a cup of tea and read it like a good book. It almost transports you to a whole, new place. And the food. Oh the food. I spied these pâtisserie and mistakenly assumed they couldn’t possibly be gluten free. But I was pleasantly surprised. They are! And they sound easy to make and leave your guests with a wow factor. These will be made for my next dinner party for sure.

Oh I can almost smell these pillowy golden buns right now. Although they are great for Easter, I think they would be something fun to enjoy any time of year for a sweet treat for breakfast. Or made for company while serving tea. Fancy.

In Amy’s post, we get a sneak peak at the Blossom Cookbook with this stellar dessert recipe. Although I would love to check out the Blossom Restaurant in New York, it’s a bit far for me, so at least I can try making some of their food at home. And why not start with this dinner party worthy dessert? Yum!

Now that I’m a working girl, I have so much less time for cooking. It’s a bummer for me, especially since some nights I find myself ordering pizza :/ It’s recipes like this that will help me keep on track with meal planning. Quick, easy recipes without sacrificing healt or taste. This would make a great lunch too!

Speaking of saving time… making breakfast the night before is a huge time saver! Especially the one day a week where I teach a dance class before work. Ain’t no one got time for breakfast after that. But I can make this delectable dish the night before and pack it to go (and eat at my desk while I work haha). Blueberries and lemons are one of my favourite combinations (… right up there with chocolate and pb!). And that cream cheese topping… omg. Way to get excited about breakfast!

Rhubarb doesn’t always have to be sweet ‘ya know! It can be savoury and it’s oh-so-good! I make this for Terry and I whenever one of us is sick. So it got made twice in the past two weeks. Not super fun, but at least we got a delicious, warm, comforting sweet/savoury bowl of awesome to help us get healthy again.

We’d love it if you link up and bring some friends to the party! We’ll be pinning and sharing your tasty treats on social media!

Wow. I totally forgot how EXCITING Friday was when I wasn’t working haha. It’s the weekend! TGIF! Tomorrow, Terry and I are taking Sunny to a doggie easter egg hunt. Yes, we are those people. You know you want pictures 😉

Ok, whenever I make chili, it just looks like a bland, boring dish. I mean, it tastes amazing, so who cares? But I love how Shaheen found a way to pretty it up with some beautiful in season rainbow chard. Tasty AND pretty. Double win.

Another dish that isn’t normally pretty, made gorgeous by colourful accompaniments and beautiful food props. Love it. I think this sounds like a great make ahead meal and leaves enough for leftovers – my kind of cooking. Now I just need a helper to help me with my food styling…

5 ingredients? Made in 20 minutes? You’ve got my interest. I’m all over the quick, easy, yet still nutritious foods these days. I’m thinking they would be great to make on a Sunday and pack for snacks during the work week. As an added bonus, you can check out beautiful pictures of Belize!

How adorable are these??? The combination of carrot and cream cheese is so delicious. And the cute little chocolate bunnies are just an awesome bonus (adding chocolate to anything gets points in my books). Perfect Easter dessert, or anytime this spring.

It’s Friday… I’m in LOVE. I hope you’re wrapping up your week nicely and looking forward to a fun weekend! I am trying to balance the work life balance… managed to sneak in a couple of volunteer shifts this week even. Sadly I’ve been very sick. Caught some nasty bug right before starting my new job. Looks like I’ll have to let blogging backslide a little more 😉 Annnnd here’s a cute picture of a recent hike with my bestie. It took me several minutes of cajoling to get her to look at the camera only for her to look over at the last second to an approaching dog. *sigh*

You had me at curry. And the super cute teal bowl haha. Fresh ginger root enhances the flavours of the potatoes and cauliflower. I love making traditional Indian food, but sometimes find the recipes a little daunting and I’m missing ingredients. This recipe solves the problem as I have everything on hand and can easily whip this up.

So pasta is easily the way to this girl’s heart. We make it at least once a week. We typically make the same way every week, so I really appreciate this recipe so I can try something different out. I love adding veggies to pasta and broccoli rabe is so good. The fresh herbs kick it up a notch too and I’m intrigued by the use of maple syrup!

How cute is this chocolate bear??? I clearly need to expand my chocolate mould collection! These make me think of those old candy bars, Chocolate Mounds, but only healthier and tastier and cuter. Looking forward to making them (with cute new shapes!).

Despite not being gluten free herself, Courtney makes many delectable gluten free goodies. Which I appreciate! Simple ingredients with simple instructions – these bars come together in no time. I like the idea of making these ahead to have easy to-go snacks for busy days.

Well now, just when you thought breakfast couldn’t get any better! Two of my favourite things are combined in this yumtastic breakfast. And it sounds pretty quick to throw together, even for a weekday breaky. As much as I love a good smoothie, it just doesn’t always leave me satisfied, I need something more nutrient dense and filling. This is it!

You wanted the lemon recipes to keep coming, here they are! I’ve always really loved the combination of lemon & lavender. Sour tartness with light sweetness make a dynamo duo for this make ahead breakfast.

We’d love it if you link up and bring some friends to the party! We’ll be pinning and sharing your tasty treats on social media!

Continuing along the lemon theme, I’m bringing you luscious porridge this morning. You make it the night before so it’s all ready for you when you get up. It’s gluten free and free of granulated sugar, making for a great way to start the day. The light hints of lavender really draw out the lemon flavours.

I have been trying to be more creative with the lemons. I wanted to make a lemon smoothie or overnight oats, but I kinda felt like those had been done. I spied some forgotten buckwheat groats in my pantry and realized I hadn’t made buckwheat porridge in a long time. Poor neglected buckwheat.

Put all of the ingredients in your blender and blend just enough to mix it up and break the buckwheat up a bit (I like mine thick, if you prefer yours thinner, blend it longer). Place in a large, covered container overnight in the fridge. In the morning, give it a good stir and divide it between two bowls. I topped ours with cashew yogurt, chopped pecans, more lemon zest and dried lavender.

What a clever idea for “nachos”. Cucumber is my favourite veggie, it’s crisp & refreshing. These would make such a great summer food. And well, anything with artichoke and I’m game 😉 I like how Vicki made homemade vegan feta for this.

What a veggie-licious bowl! The spices would really give this dish a lot of flavour. It would actually great make a great pasta replacement with the tomato sauce, but the sweet potatoes make it a healthier carb base. Yum!

These sloppy joe’s are so pretty! Maybe they should be called pretty joe’s! I really like the idea of using lentils as the protein base instead of fake meat. And using cauliflower is a great way to get some added veggies in.

So banana and coconut are a truly wonderful combination. The first time I had it was in muffin form and I was surprised at how much I liked such a simple thing. And the coconut sugar really lends a wonderful golden colour.

“You make me feel so young, you make me feel as though spring has sprung…” Just look at this amazing one pot meal. The asparagus and peas are making me think of gorgeous spring days. And the quinoa and lentils would make for a good protein content in this meal – it would be super filling AND delicious. I loooove that she cooked the quinoa in coconut milk (something I have done for rice, but haven’t thought of trying for quinoa for some reason). I will of course have to make this with her homemade parm.

Still using up all of those lemons! These are very lemon-y, which I love. The ginger gives it a nice kick and the mango balances it out. I tucked in some turmeric for good measure and anti-inflammatory properties. I especially love these after a good workout.

We’d love it if you link up and bring some friends to the party! We’ll be pinning and sharing your tasty treats on social media!

Place the pecans in a food processor and process until they break down into a fine crumble. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until well combined and the mixture is sticky and dough-like. Rinse your hands (best to work with wet hands), use a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture, roll it into a ball and place on a plate. Repeat until you run out of mixture, it should make about 12 medium-sized bites. Keep them stashed in the freezer.

These are a great snack all around, I especially enjoy them before or after a good workout. Enjoy!

Posts navigation

I'm Kimmy, a holistic nutritionist on the path to healthy living and loving myself. I want to share my passion for kale and chocolate with you. I focus on allergy-friendly recipes and you will find some appetizing healthy eats as well as some delicious indulgences here. ♥